Antibiotics for covid?

[Katya213]

Has anyone had antibiotics for covid? My 76 year old dad has been prescribed them for his cough, has anybody else had them for a cough?

if its a chest infection, then yes.

Well Covid is a viral illness so antibiotics won’t help it.

But a secondary bacterial infection such as a chest infection on top of Covid will benefit from antibiotics.

It was a phone consultation as obviously the doctor was reluctant to see him. He’s had horrendous cough and fever for 7 days now and I’m just really worried. Thanks for your answers.x

Yes because they suspected mine had developed into pneumonia so gave them to me more as a precaution. Are the antibiotics helping him?
Ps - handhold as it is not easy when people we love are ill and this virus is very unpredictable- I really hope your dad makes a swift recovery x

TMI warning Oh - and also a phone consultation. They were quite quick to prescribe them really - I called because I was massively freaked out that I had coughed up a small amount of phlegm that was a weird dark brown color and sticky and they said it could be pneumonia and sent those for me

If they think he has a chest infection then that's why the antibiotics will have been prescribed. If he doesn't improve quickly I'd get back onto the GP/111

Thank you all for your lovely replies, it’s very reassuring. The doctor says if there are anymore temperature spikes or feeling feverish 24 hours after taking the antibiotic, we will have to go to hospital. Zaffa it’s not easy, I was ignorant and always thought my dad would be okay, it’d just be a sniffle. I’m holding onto the thought that he is triple vaxed.

It won't be for covid, covid is a virus, antibiotics won't have any effect on it. If he has antibiotics they obviously think he has a chest infection, possibly pneumonia. Has he had a pneumonia vaccine?

I had a chest infection a few years back that absolutely floored me. Hopefully your dad will improve quickly.

No, funny enough, he usually gets the pneumonia one but I don’t think he was offered that this year. Just the flu and booster jabs.

You only get the pneumonia jab once every 5 years.

My DM with COPD just had covid but also asked for antibiotics as her deep cough/ chest pain was the same as for her many chest infections. Doctor explained that obvs they wouldn’t work if this was a result of the virus but prescribed anyway and her chest cleared up within a couple of days. May have been a coincidental infection, doesn’t matter, just glad her bout of covid was not as bad as feared given her vulnerability (she hard shielded for most of 2020!)

Stop you getting pneumonia.

ABs are given for Covid Pneumonia. I wouldn't hesitate to get him seen if no better today. A fever for 7 days is not good.